Although NFR has been able to make headways to all the NE states with rail connectivity; Sikkim is still left out of the Indian Railway map. Work for providing rail connectivity was sanctioned for Sikkim way back in the year 2008-09, the work could not make much headway due to various environment-related issues as the proposed railway line will pass through theMahananda wildlife sanctuary.
This is a national project and is very important for the overall development of the state of Sikkim. Once completed it is expected to boost connectivity of the landlocked state which shares its border with three neighbouring countries, viz. China, Nepal and Bhutan apart from being strategically important. Rail connectivity will also provide a reliable & economical transportation infrastructure.
The total length of the complete project is 44.96 km of which 41.55 km falls in West Bengal and 3.41 km falls in Sikkim. The anticipated project cost will be around Rs. 8,900 Crs of which about Rs 335.52 Crs have already been utilized till last month. Budget allotment for 2020-21 is607 Crores.IRCON (Indian Railway Construction Company) International Ltd on behalf of NFR is carrying out the construction work of the project. There will be 14 tunnels, 5 stations (Sivoke, Riyang, Teesta Bazar, Melli and Rangpo) and 13 bridges in the section.
The entire section is being constructed by using the latest technology so that train can run at a speed of 100 kmph. There will be 38555 mts of tunnelling work involved in the entire projects. This is more than 92% of the entire project length. Work is already in progress in various sections. However due to difficult terrain and prolonged rainy season work often gets affected. Moreover, the work got affected from March, 202 to May 2020 due to COVID 19 related restrictions. The likely date of completion of the project is December 2022